Paper Faces on Parade

World, take a collective breath!

Finally I, Courtney, watched Phantom of the Opera. To the uneducated citizen, this wouldn't mean much. But to others it was like a crime that I had never seen this film, especially with an affinity for musicals as I have. Frankly, I'd just never been presented with the opportunity, which is why I parked my behind on Anneke's bed last Friday night to watch it, snuggled up to my Beauty and the Beast pillow. Apparently, I had never know what I was missing, or so several friends had told me. And I honestly liked the movie, but as the credits rolled I couldn't really respond aptly to the question, "Did you like it?" If I had been able to, though, it would have gone something like, "Yeah, but..."

And here is the but of the question. It had so many things working in its favor - Gerard Butler *swoon*, Emmy Rossum (who I first saw in the movie Genius in 1999), great music, great costumes, etc - but something fell a little flat to me. How to explain it... ah, let's say you're reading a Murder Mystery novel. You invest all this time in collecting clues and you know, just know, who the killer is. So you get to the end and you were totally wrong. Think of that feeling. It left me scratching my head a little. The music and cinematography were fabulous, though, and part of the joy of the film was just sitting there and watching it.

But what really bothered me about Phantom was what was left unfinished. To name a few: the daughter of Giry, Meg, slipped through the mirror in Christine's, er, room and was close upon discovering something. But other than picking up the mask at the end, her character disappears. Why set that whole thing up if they movie was never going to explore it? I just think that some of these small subplot-things and events should have been either omitted or followed out with. Another thing is some of the scenes, one of which is the graveyard scene. She goes, I'm assuming in confusion and looking for guidance from her father, to his grave and it lights up as she sings in the foggy distance. By now, I'm also assuming she knows that Erik, the phantom, is not her father... you know, given the suggestive caresses during "The Music of the Night" number. Well, I hope so.

So she seems drawn into the fiber optic tomb. This has phantom written all over it. And even as Raol first comes, she's drawn. So, was this her delusional thinking of her father or did she knowingly begin to draw towards the phantom? WE NEVER KNOW! And during the masquerade ball (which is another boggling moment I won't touch upon), right after the worker is asphyxiated and hung, just as the phantom slaps down Don Juan and begins to fight Roal, Raol ends up through this trap door thing. I was like "Oh, hey~" when he fell into the room of mirrors. I thought some serious fencing was about to unfold... until Madame Giry pops in and grabs Raol. What? WHAT?! Just think of a roller coaster getting to the top of the ride (right before the drop) and then just rolling backwards.

*rips out hair*

Let's not even mention that ending. OK, I totally endorse her not being with him for being a murderer. And I secretly like Raol (even though I like phantom more), but I think her relationship with Erik was both underplayed and wrongly developed. Obviously, there was something there. But the movie did nothing with this very interesting and intricate love triangle-ish thing. They just took Christine from hero worship to loathing in one swoop. I think the intriguing desire she had, which I'm sure she had, to be with him (even when she wanted to be with Roal) was something that should have been explored on a more realistic level than it was. It was a little too rushed and a little to unjust to the plot. It could have been dark and twisted, but they pulled out at the last minute and made her a poster child for being an ingénue. I mean, I'm all for being chaste and stuff, but I think her character had something dark and polluted to it. Something that attracted her to Erik, while the other part of her was attracted her to Raol. The darker Christine was left, well, in the dark and we never saw the fruition or conflict of these counter-personalities.

I think that's it. Besides how the ending brought Meg to the light again. She had a kind of beginning and a sort of end. That's all. Really, it was a movie that promised a lot, but didn't deliver. It was unfulfilled and ignored what the characters, on paper, were trying to say. It was a lot of pretty cinematography and nice music with some so-so development. It didn't go where it promised and left us behind.

And they lived, perhaps, needlessly happily ever after.

Toodle Pip.